ADE: Bringing Up Zoey, an iPad Story

With the iPad accounting for nearly 90% of tablet sales on Black Friday, I thought I'd add my 2 cents. And, as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Lili Radu iPad clutch. Love the tassels.

Since the debut of the iPad, I’ve secretly longed for one. I remember watching a special episode of Charlie Rose where he giddily breezed through app after app while interviewing NYT's David Carr and WSJ's Walt Mossberg. I wanted one. I really, really wanted one. After all, I love both design and technology. But I didn't want what could amount to an expensive toy. It seemed nice, but I couldn't quite prove that it was worth my while (and money).

Then, this summer happened. As I became busier and busier, I started looking for ways to improve productivity and reclaim some hours in my day. Naturally, I took to Twitter: iPad for productivity? So far, I have 2 resounding "Yes's" and 1 "kind of" (tweet, tweet).

Taylor Sterling carts hers around in Juicy Couture. More tassels.

Still not convinced, I bought a second laptop to get through proposal season, all the while hauling around files, paper scraps, and notebooks. It would take several more weeks before reconsidering an iPad purchase. During that time, I would contribute to four proposals, Amtrak up and down the coast, start more projects, and spend hours stuck in commuter traffic. I finally reached my limit.

iPad and chic stuff of Gaia Repossi

Purchase made. I named her Zoey after my Sony Vaio Z-series dream machine, Zo. During my time with Zoey, I discovered something that no amount of research or Charlie Rose interviews could provide. It's not simply about doing more work in more places. The iPad makes doing work more interesting. Editing photos and writing blog posts have become a new experience. Reading boring documents is suddenly a little less boring. In short, it's not always about what your doing, but how you're doing it.

But enough of my jibber jabber...

What do you think?

Images: Lili Radu, Juicy Couture, The Coveteur

A Designer's Eye (ADE) focuses on training and refining my artistic eye; developing my instincts; learning to trust them; and sharing what I find.